Beautiful Before God

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"The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as "my dear husband." You'll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated. The same goes for you husbands..." (1 Peter 3:5-7, The Message).

While men and women alike in our pampered culture of flesh, fame, and fancy may do a thousand different things to enlarge this and shrink that, lengthen that and shorten this, flatten this and pump up that -- all will still turn to dust in but a little while. What a tragic mistake it would be to focus all your efforts on the outside, while you let the insides rot away.

Peter points back to a time when people were "beautiful before God." And he highlights two specific characteristics that were true of them -- men and women alike. They were unanxious, and unintimidated.

Anxiety will contort anybody's face, and disturb everybody's peace of mind. Timidity can back even the strongest into a corner, and silence even the most vocal among us. But the inner life was designed by God for something far beyond the limitations of these two thieves.

God wants to bring you to the place where your life is notably marked by two unmistakable traits, obvious to all who know you. He wants you to live a life that is unanxious and unintimidated.

Look about your personal world right now and ask yourself this question: "What difference would it make in my life from this point onward if I lived every day and faced each situation unanxious and unintimidated?"

The answer you come up with will be inspiring, and your life will become beautiful before God!
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